Bloxwich CofE Primary School

Inspection report for early years provision

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104221 Unique Reference Number 24 September 2007 Inspection date Joyce Bowler Inspector

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Childcare Type of inspection Childminding Type of care

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This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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ABOUT THIS INSPECTION

The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public of the quality of childcare and, if applicable, of nursery education. The inspection was carried out under Part XA Children Act 1989 as introduced by the Care Standards Act 2000 and, where nursery education is provided, under Schedule 26 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcomes for children set out in the Children Act 2004; the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding; and, where nursery education is provided, the Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage. The report includes information on any complaints about the childcare provision which Ofsted has received since the last inspection or registration or 1 April 2004 whichever is the later.

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

For more information about early years inspections, please see the booklet Are you ready for your inspection? which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder has been registered since 1988. She lives with her husband and their son in Thorverton, near Exeter, Devon. She may provide care for a maximum of six children at any one time. Currently there are nine children on roll. Minded children have the use of the ground floor and a small outdoor area. An upstairs bathroom is also available, and the main bedroom is used for children's daily naps. Her son's pets are kept in his bedroom and minded children do not have access to them. The childminder is a member of the National Childminding Association.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children are cared for in a clean and tidy home. Children's hygiene is promoted through established routines such as washing their hands after using the toilet and before eating. Children are protected from the risk of cross infection as they dry their hands on individual paper towels. The childminder uses wet wipes to clean hands when on outings and around the house. She maintains a stock of disposable gloves for changing nappies and bodily spills.

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Helping children to be healthy

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 Children's minor accidents are treated appropriately as the childminder holds a first aid qualification. This has been updated in September 2007 and is supported as she keeps two first aid kits at home. In order to ensure that she meets children's specific needs and complies with parents' wishes at all times the childminder intends to get parents to supply individual kits for their own children. The childminder does not administer medication and therefore no documentation exists to show such records. However, as part of her review of all documentation, she is intending to obtain a record book from the National Childminding Association to encompass all incidents, accidents and medication records. Currently she does not have written permission to seek emergency medical advice or treatment from parents. She has shared her

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Helping children to be healthy

written policy to exclude children who are sick or infectious with parents. All accidents are recorded accurately and countersigned by parents.

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Helping children to be healthy

All food is supplied by parents in lunch boxes and stored appropriately in the kitchen. Foods requiring chilling are stored in the fridge. Children choose snacks from their lunch boxes and all uneaten food is returned home. Each child has their own cup or beaker and drinks are replenished as necessary by the childminder. Children who are minded after school are provided with choices between biscuits and fresh fruit and always have a drink. There are no children attending currently with specific dietary requirements but the childminder is aware of the need to adhere to parents' wishes and children's health needs or religious observances.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children receive plenty of opportunities to develop their physical play when going for walks and exploring the locality. Space indoors allows for games to spread out around the kitchen-dining room and in the sitting room. There is plenty of space for table top and floor play. Children benefit from access to a variety of activities which promote the development of their fine motor control skills and large muscle groups. The childminder is aware of the limitations of her home and small courtyard garden and takes minded children out daily in most weathers.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are cared for in a safe environment where risks are identified and minimised effectively. This is demonstrated by the childminder's use of locks on windows upstairs and on bedroom doors where pets are kept and by using baby alarms to monitor children when they are sleeping. She uses stair gates at the foot of the stairs and the opening to the kitchen area as necessary according to the ages of minded children and activities such as cooking. All the fittings are in place for the childminder to slot gates in quickly and effectively. She has been minding at her home for many years and is adept at preparing the space for different ages of children and she has an ongoing approach to risk assessment. Children's safety is promoted well by good front door security which ensures that they cannot escape and visitors cannot enter unnoticed. The gas boiler is checked annually and smoke alarms are in place on both floors. There is a fire

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

blanket in the kitchen and children have practised the emergency evacuation procedure. This is recorded and shared with parents. All toys and resources are checked regularly for wear and tear and cleaned as necessary during everyday use.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are only collected by nominated persons known to the childminder. Children's safety is promoted as she holds emergency contact details to use if a child is not collected within a stated time. This policy is shared with parents and information is held on child record forms. The childminder maintains her public liability insurance. Children's welfare is safeguarded as the childminder has a good knowledge and understanding of child protection issues. She has attended training and is mid-way through writing her own policy and procedure to share with parents which will be based on the National Childminding Association model policy. In this way

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 she ensures that her procedures are up to date and in line with the Local Safeguarding Children Board.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are relaxed and happy in the care of the childminder. She is successful at establishing an atmosphere which is conducive to children feeling ready to play, learn and to have fun. Children benefit from a stimulating range of activities at home and on outings and walks. The childminder makes the most of her locality and ensures that children are able to learn about the world around them and the changes over the year. Children enjoy lots of nature walks which are inspired by the seasons and these result in follow up activities at home. These can include pressing flowers, cooking and eating picked blackberries, drawing pictures and talking about what they have seen and done. A walk through the churchyard results in discussion about textures when they look at and touch stones and the walls, and discussions around time passing and what gravestones are for. Children benefit from the childminder's emphasis on establishing

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

and developing their personal, social and emotional skills as well as helping them to air their own ideas and thoughts verbally and to ask lots of questions. She uses everyday routines such as sorting laundry to discuss colour, shape and size. The childminder takes children to a wide variety of outdoor places to allow them to let off steam and run around. These include the Millennium Green, local swing park, Haldon Hill, garden centres and the Tiverton Canal to feed the ducks. Children get to play with toys and games on a rota basis with some equipment stored for winter indoor play when the weather is too prohibitive for a walk. These toys include the train set, construction equipment and dinosaurs. Children enjoy making train tracks under the table and around the room and setting up a dinosaur farm. The childminder has a good range of toys and books which are appropriate for the current age group minded. These include lots

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

of toys for role play and imaginative games such as dolls, dressing up clothes, a play kitchen and toy vehicles. She allows children minded after school to watch a limited amount of television and occasionally a children's DVD. She enables children to take part in extra curricula activities by taking them to ballet and also picks up from playgroup and school. The childminder has been working with children for many years and has a wealth of experience and exciting ideas to call upon to make their time with her both rewarding and happy. She has a copy of the Birth to three matters framework which she uses to inform her practice with younger children.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children's individual needs and interests are met as the childminder holds vital information from parents and has established an effective exchange of information at drop off and collection times. The childminder provides parents with an information pack containing details of her service and shares further information with them when setting up contracts. Currently, she is reviewing the parent pack in order to provide parents and carers with extended information about her policies and procedures. Each child has their own folder containing record forms and permissions which promotes confidentiality for each family. Parents are provided with contact details for Ofsted and the childminder's complaints procedure. Children are able to feel welcomed and happy in new surroundings as the childminder makes home visits to them before minding commences and invites parents and children to visit her. Children are settled and relaxed in her

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Helping children make a positive contribution

care. Their individual interests are developed by the childminder who provides extra resources to support this, for example, a large range of toy dinosaurs for a child with a fascination for them. They respond well to reminders to behave well, for example, not to play on the stairs.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 The childminder shares her behaviour management policy with parents. Children benefit from her positive approach where most rules are in place for safety reasons, to promote cooperative play and to enable children to have fun together. There are no children attending currently with learning difficulties, physical disabilities or who have English as an additional language. However, the childminder is aware of the need to liaise with parents and all related agencies in order to promote children's health and educational needs. She has past experience of caring for children with asthma.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. The childminder meets the needs of the range of children for whom she provides. Children benefit from well organised routines and activities which give them good opportunities to learn as they play. The childminder demonstrates her commitment to keeping up to date by reading 'Who minds' from the National Childminding Association and researching early years information on the internet. She has recently attended a paediatric first aid update course and a workshop on preparing for inspection and meeting the National Standards. She demonstrates satisfactory record keeping and maintains all documentation required for registration. In order to support and improve her practice the childminder is collating extra policies and procedures and reviewing current ones and will share these with parents when they are complete. Currently, the set of parental permissions does not contain written consent for her to seek emergency advice or

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Organisation

treatment for children. The childminder uses National Childminding Association documentation and her register is correct and up to date. She displays her registration certificate.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the childminder was asked to address three issues which related to fire safety, documentation and the range of resources available to children. The childminder has reviewed her stock of toys and resources. She has supplemented books, dressing up clothes and dolls to promote equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice. Fire safety precautions are improved by the installation of a smoke alarm on the ground floor. These two issues have been met in full. However, the childminder has not yet obtained written permission to seek emergency medical advice or treatment and this remains as an issue arising from this inspection. Overall, actions taken have had a beneficial effect on the care provided by the childminder. One area remains to be addressed in order to complete all parental permissions and to safeguard children's health.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since the last inspection there have been no complaints made to Ofsted that required the provider or Ofsted to take any action in order to meet the National Standards.

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Complaints since the last inspection

The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents which they can see on request. The complaints record may contain complaints other than those made to Ofsted.

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Complaints since the last inspection

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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The quality and standards of the care

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • ensure that written permission is in place to seek emergency medical advice and treatment.

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The quality and standards of the care

set out in the leaflet Complaints about Ofsted Early Years: concerns or complaints about Ofsted's role in regulating and inspecting childcare and early education (HMI ref no 2599) which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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The quality and standards of the care

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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